MPIDR Working Paper
Education and permanent childlessness: Austria vs. Sweden; a research note
Neyer, G. R., Hoem, J. M.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-2008-007, 21 pages.
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (February 2008)
Abstract
In this research note we extend our previous study of the association between
educational attainment and permanent childlessness in Sweden (Hoem et al., 2006) to
cover Austria, and we make comparisons between the two countries. In both
investigations we have defined educational attainment in terms of both educational
level and educational field. We find largely the same pattern of childlessness by
educational field in both countries; in particular at each educational level women
educated for teaching jobs or for health occupations typically have lower childlessness
than other lines of education. However, for most groups childlessness is higher in
Austria, and for academic educations it is much higher. We attribute these differences
to institutional differences in the two countries which may bring about a different
culture of reproductive behavior.
Keywords: Austria, education, fertility